Doctors treating Pope Leo XIV have announced that final tissue and molecular tests confirmed that the lung cancer discovered in his body was localized and that he requires no further treatment, the Vatican said Wednesday evening, bringing welcome news to more than a billion Catholics worldwide.
The 71-year-old pontiff, who took office only last year following the death of Pope Francis, underwent surgery last week to remove the lower lobe of his right lung. Shortly afterward, the Vatican announced that tests had confirmed suspicions that Leo had lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. At the time, however, the Vatican did not say whether the pope would require additional medical procedures, leaving questions about his condition.
On Wednesday evening, the Vatican said the pope's personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, and his surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, had confirmed that tests on tissue removed during surgery supported the initial diagnosis that the cancer had not spread.
"Further oncological evaluation confirmed that no additional treatment is necessary," the doctors said.
The pope was discharged from the hospital Saturday and has since been gradually returning to his daily routine. On Wednesday, he returned to St. Peter's Square at the Vatican for his weekly general audience with the faithful, riding among the crowds in his popemobile.
The Pope at the Vatican on Wednesday afternoon
(Photo: Tiziana Fabi / AFP)
He is scheduled to make an 11-day trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17, and Vatican officials expect the visit to proceed as planned.
Leo XIV was elected pope in May 2025 at age 70, relatively young for a leader of the Catholic Church. He is known for his love of sports, including tennis, and was not known to be a smoker or to have experienced recent health problems before the cancer was discovered in his lung.
The Pope is a non-smoker
(Photo: Gregorio Borgia/AP)
The pope is the highest earthly authority for the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, and there is no deputy who automatically assumes his duties when he falls ill. When a pope is unable to perform his duties, the Vatican's extensive administrative operations continue, but decisions requiring his direct approval are put on hold.
Pope Leo XIV is the first American pope in history. Born Robert Prevost in Chicago in 1955, he served for decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru before becoming pontiff.